Wind-inducing device for self-playing musical instruments.



L. B. DOMAN.

WIND INDUCING DEVICE FOR SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1906.

1,073,223. Patented Sept. 16,1913.

INVENTOR A TTORNE'K WITNESSES WfiNQm,

' tion'is a division.

LEWIS B. DOMAN, OF ELBRIDGE NEXV YORK.

WIND-INDUCING DEVICE FOR SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Original application filed August 8, 1906, Serial No. 329,692.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

Divided and this application filed November 20, 1906. Serial No. 344,214.

2 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS B. DOMAN, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wind-Inducing Devices for Self-Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following-taken in connection with the accompanying'drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improve-i ments in Wind} inducing devices for self-f playing musical'instriimerit'sl 'andiit i's spe-g cially adapted for what is commonly known as inside players of the class" 'set forth in my pending application No. 329,692, filed Au gust 8th,-1906, of which the Theparticular'object which I have sought to carry out is to permanently combine and unite all of the elements of thewind inducing device including the exhaust bellows, wind-chest, equalizing 'chamber and pedal action in a single'article of manufacture, capable of being installed withinthe case of a piano or similar instrument to be used in connection with various forms of se1fplaying musical instruments, In other words, I

have permanently mounted the exhausting and equalizing bellows and also the pedal frame directly upon a wind chest having suitable leads to which flexible tubes may be attached for connection with the sound producing action and pneumatic motor.

A further object is to mount pedals upon a swinging frame adapted to be folded, when not in use, upwardly, flatwise against the front face of the wind-chest.

Other objects and uses will be made ap parent in the following description.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are similar transver e sectional views of my improved wind inducing device, the swinging pedal frame and pedals being shown in operative position in Fig. l 'and' folded to their inoperative position in Fig. 2. 'Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same device taken on line 33 Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings this wind inducing device comprises a wind-chest 1, a pair of exhaust bellows 2-, an equalizing bellows 3 and suitable operating pedals thaving their forward ends pivoted at 5 to the front end of a vertically swinging frame 6, and their rear ends connected by links 7 to forwardly propresent' applicajecting arms -8 which are secured to the movable sides of the exhaust devices -2. 'The wind-chest -l preferably consists of comparatively long front and rear rectangular boards l0 and ll arranged edgewise vertically and spaced apart by comparatively narrow strips 12 of wood and additional strips 13 of com- 1 paratively thick cardboard or paper, said strips being adhesively secured to each other and 'to and between the marginal edges of the front and rear boards -l0 and 11 forming an intervening air chamber 14 which is comparatively shallow transversely but nearly co-extensive with the area of the wind-chest.

The wood strips 12 are adhesively secured to the front face of the back piece ll and the pasteboard or paper strips 13 are adhesively secured to the front face of the strips -12 and to the rear face of the front board lO- forming a yielding connection between the front and back-boards which allows a limited come and go for shrinkage and expansion without liability of opening the joint between the front and back board, and at the same time affording a means by which the front board may be separated from the back board without splitting or otherwise injuring the wood parts because the paper may be more readily split between its glued surfaces, whereas, if the wood surfaces were glued together it would be quite impossible to separate them without splitting the wood.

This idea of interposing pasteboard or thick paper between the contiguous wood parts serves not only to prevent leakage, by imperfect or strained joints, but also enables the wood parts of the wind-chest to be separated without destroying them should under which conditions the split pasteboard *adhering to the sides of the wood could be readily scraped off by moistening, and new strips of paper substituted when re-assembling the wood parts.

The exhaust devices 2- are secured side by side in upright positions to the central portion of the rear faces of the back board ll of the wind-chest .l, their rear sides being movable through the medium of their respective pedals -45 and connections 7 and 8. The inner side of each bellows communicates through suitable ports 15 with the chamber --14 of the wind-chest. These ports are each provided with a suitable valve 1G opening into the bellows 2 to allow the passage of the air from the wind chest -1-- into said bellows. In like manner the rear movable wall of each bellows is .provided with ports --17 having a valve -l8 opening outwardly. to allow air to pass from bellows to atmosphere but prevents rentrance of such air into the bellows. Each bellows 2- is provided with one of the brackets or arms -S- which brackets extend forwardly .under the bellows and wind-chest and have their forward ends pivotally connected to one end of the links --.-.-7-.

The front end of each pedal is pivoted to a. common metal bar constitnlingaa part .of the swingin frame .-.-6, said 1 extending under an some distance beyond the side edges-of the pedals and has its opposite ends rigidly to rearwardly projecting arms .or bars .-..21-T 1 These bars 21 are. located at the outer sides of the pedals and their rear onds are pivoted at -2-2 to suitable brackets 23-=- on the front board of the wind-chest --'1-, said pivots --22 constitx'lt-ing the swinging axis for the pedal supporting frame -.-6 and are located nearly 1n line with the bottom of the wind-chest and in proximity to the pivotal connection between the links 7- and arms -8.

The whole device is adapted to the mount ed upon a suitable rail as -A- with which the base of all piano cases is usually provided and for this I provide suitable metal feet 25 which are, in this instance, secured to the front sides of the bellows 2 and are adapted to rest .upon and be scoured to the rail -A-, thereby, supporting the wind-chest and bellows some distance above the floor li-ne upon which the bar -20- is adapted to rest This wind- -l\est 1 is provided near its ends with ports -2G and 27- communicating with suitable loads -28 and 29 adapted .to be connected to other parts of the self-playing musical instrument as, for instance a sound producing action and motor action respectively, neither of which are shown because theyJform no part of my presentinvention.

The equalizing bellows -'3 is secured to the front 'board 10- near the wind'chest and. communicates through =a suitable port -30 with said wind-chest, said equalizing bellows 3 being normally distended by a comparatively stiff spring 431', the object of said equalizing bellows being to maintain a uniform air tension in the pneumatic system, which the wind inducing derice is adapted to operate. Secured to the central portion of the front board 10' is an upright bar -33 to the upper end of which is secured a spring catch 34--- for engaging the bar 2-O when swung upwardly and retaining the frame 6 together with the pedals and link -7- :when in upright position as sho n in Fig. 2.

The distance between the swinging axis ---22 and active portion of the catch -3 f is substantially equal to .or slightly greater than the distance between said axis and inner face of the bar 20 so that when the frame is rocked upwardly as-described, the bar -20 rides .upon and slightly depresses'the catch 34- and frictionally holds the frame 6 in its upright position. .Each pedal .-l-- and its link- 7 forms a toggle connection between the bar .-2OT--and movable side of the bellows so that when the joint between the pedal and. link is flexed upwardly in its normal position as shown in Fig. 1, the depr on of he pedal y t t the toggle to straighten out and fomsthe m yabl sid o thi l w 2 marwardly. This operation of the bellows causes'tzlle .valve .1 8.. to close the 177 against atmosphere and at the same time open the valve .I6 to exhaust the air from the chamber l4.- and equalizing hellows 3?- thereby tending to colapse t e eq al i s '3 ag n i n Of its distending i A31 so ha if ped l action should temporarily the action of. the. equalizing bellows ,-.3- by its would operate to temporarily maintain a nearly uniform .ten- 1 n t y t m- What claim is:

1. A .wind inducing device for self-playing -musical instruments comprising a bellows having its movable member provided with an arm projecting forwardly under the lower edge thereof, means for supporting the bellows wholly from the lower edge of its staltionary side, a wind chestsupported .wholly by the stationary side of the bellows and communicating therewith, a pedal. a link having one end pivoted to the toe end of the bellows and its other end pivoted to the forward ondof said arm, a bar pivotal-iv connected to :the heel end of the pedal, and a separate bar having its front end rigidly connected to the first :named :bar and its rear end ipivota-lly connected :to the wind chest.

2. A wind inducing device for self-playing musical instruments comprising a bellows having its movable member provided with an arm projecting forwardly under the lower edge thereof, means for supporting the bellows wholly from the lower edge of its stationary side, a wind chestsupported -wholly by the stationary side of the bellows somedistance above said arm, an equalizer supported wholly by the wind chest, a pedal, a link pivotally connected to the toe end of the pedal and to the front-end of said arm to swing upwardly and rearWardly, a bar pivotally connected to the heel end of the pedal, and a separate bar of greater length than the link having its forward end rigidly connected to the first named bar and its rear end pivotally connected to the wind chest near the lower edge thereof, and yielding means for engaging the first named bar and holding it in its inoperative position.

A Wind-inducing device for selfplaying musical instruments comprising a Windchest, a bellows, and an equalizer, all of such parts being secured together, feet secured to the fixed side of the bellows and constituting the only means of support for the entire Wind-inducing device, and a folding bellows-operating means connected to and supported Wholly by portions of the first named parts.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13 day of November, 1906.

LEWIS B. DOMAN.

Witnesses:

CLAUDE L. HAMLIN, M. ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

